On this episode of the Campbell Law Reporter, Thomas Harper, Senior Legal Advisor in International Humanitarian Law for the American Red Cross, joins the program to discuss Humanitarian Law and the American Red Cross. Thomas has spent his adult life in uniform, having originally enlisted in the Army Reserve upon graduating high school. He later commissioned as an Army officer via the ROTC program at North Carolina State University. Following law school at Campbell University School of Law in Raleigh, NC, Thomas served on active duty as a Judge Advocate for more than 7 years before transitioning to the Army Reserve, where he currently holds the rank of Major. He has served in a variety of capacities, including as a prosecutor, defense counsel, Special Victim Counsel, and as an Operational Law attorney in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Thomas writes and podcasts for The Legal Geeks, an American Bar Association Top 100 legal blog, where he uses Star Wars to teach about a wide variety of legal topics, including International Humanitarian Law. Thomas also co-hosts The Joint Geeks of Staff, a podcast featuring national security professionals who explore military and diplomatic lessons learned in science fiction. Thomas regularly shares his passion for the intersection between Star Wars and the IHL, having presented at San Diego Comic-Con, Star Wars Celebration (Disney’s official Star Wars convention), WonderCon, Dragon Con, and more.